Ibiza Stag Do

An Ibiza stag do is for the group that actually wants to dance. This is the island that turned clubbing into a holiday, and the big names still play its superclubs every summer. Add sunshine, pool days and sunsets that make grown men go quiet, and you’ve got a weekend with very little room for disappointment.

The trick is choosing your base. San Antonio, on the west coast, is the lively, laddish option with the West End’s bars and the famous sunset strip. Ibiza Town and Playa d’en Bossa, on the other side of the island, are home to the glossier clubs. Amnesia sits inland between the two. Pick the side that suits your crowd and taxi to the rest.

Start every evening on the sunset strip in San Antonio. Café del Mar has been playing the sun down since 1980 and Café Mambo next door hosts warm-up parties for the big clubs. Get there early for a decent spot. Afterwards, the West End is a dense cluster of bars and pubs that stays busy into the small hours, and Es Paradis and Eden, both near the town’s egg-shaped roundabout, are the local superclubs.

On the Ibiza Town side you’ve got Pacha, Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa, which does daytime open-air parties before most of you have found your sunglasses. Big nights sell out, so buy tickets in advance and check who’s playing. Try a shot of hierbas ibicencas, the local herbal liqueur. The stag’s face is half the fun.

Ibiza days are mostly pool, beach and remembering your own name. When the lads get restless, a boat party or catamaran round the coast is a brilliant day out, just book a licensed operator, because the rules on party boats near the resorts have tightened. For something with more splash, have a go at water jetpacks or jet skis, or head into the hills on a quad biking tour to see the quieter side of the island.

I’d keep one afternoon completely free for a beach and a long lunch. You’ll need it after the second night.

• The West End rules. Parts of San Antonio sit inside a Balearic zone where drinking in the street is banned, shops stop selling alcohol in the evening and party boats can’t pick up. Fines are hefty, so drink on terraces and in bars.
• Shirts on. San Antonio expects you to be dressed in town. Swimwear belongs at the beach and the pool.
• ID. Clubs check it, so carry a photo ID every night.
• When to go. The clubs open in spring and close with big parties in early autumn. June and September give you the full scene without the August crowds.
• Getting there. Plenty of UK airports fly direct in season. Taxis are the way round the island, and queues get long at closing time, so plan your lift home.

For a stag weekend in Ibiza, two nights is the minimum. Three is wiser if the stag wants to see a club and a sunset and still be speaking to you at the airport. If the group fancies a bit more of a holiday-resort feel, a Magaluf stag do is the next island over, and Marbella suits the lads who’d rather wear a shirt with a collar. The packages below cover accommodation, club tickets and boat days, so compare what’s included and book early.

Your base decides your weekend, so choose it carefully. For most stag groups I’d go with San Antonio on the west coast. It’s the lively, laddish option, with the West End’s dense cluster of bars and pubs, the sunset strip on your doorstep and Es Paradis and Eden for the big nights.

If your lot are proper clubbers who care more about the line-up than the drinks offers, stay on the Ibiza Town and Playa d’en Bossa side instead. That’s where you’ll find Pacha, Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa, and it has a glossier feel than San Antonio.

Whichever side you pick, you’ll be taxiing to the other one at some point. Taxis are the way round the island and the queues get long at closing time, so plan your lift home before you go out. Also worth knowing: in San Antonio’s West End there’s no drinking in the street, so do your pre-drinks on the terrace, not the pavement.

Friday Fly direct from the UK, check in and head for the sunset strip in San Antonio. Get to Café del Mar or Café Mambo early for a decent spot, watch the sun go down and then roll into the West End. Make the stag try a shot of hierbas ibicencas, the local herbal liqueur, and enjoy his face. Shirts on in town, lads.

Saturday Daytime is for the water. I’d book a boat party or catamaran round the coast with a licensed operator, then take it easy at the pool. If anyone fancies something on dry land, there’s go karting too. In the evening, grab a taxi to the Ibiza Town side for a big club night at Pacha or Hï Ibiza. Buy the tickets in advance, check who’s playing and carry photo ID, because clubs check every night. If anyone still has notes left, a casino trip will take care of them.

Sunday Keep it completely free for a beach and a long lunch. Swimwear is for the beach and the pool, and you’ll need the rest after the second night. If the group is staying a third night, finish with one more sunset on the strip before the flight home.